Aberdeen Performing Arts is celebrating after another successful Granite Noir welcomed world-class authors and visitors to the city.
Article published 26/02/2025
Aberdeen’s international crime writing festival came to a rapturous close on Sunday 23 February as the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers brought down the curtain on Granite Noir 2025.
The ninth edition saw over 80 authors, artists, and speakers participate over the four-day festival, including nine emerging northeast writers as part of Granite Noir’s leading Locals in the Limelight series.
Audiences travelled from across the country and tuned in around the world to enjoy events that dove into the thrilling world of crime fiction.
Criminal duos were in focus this year, with a live version of the hit BBC podcast Murder They Wrote with Laura Whitmore and Iain Stirling performed to a packed-out Music Hall on Thursday night.
Husband and wife writing teams Nicci French and Ambrose Parry discussed their process and real-life partners in crime.
Behind the Crime Scene Tape with Wendy Deegan. Credit: Richard Frew.
Other highlights of the programme included:
- conversations with best-selling authors Alan Warner, CJ Cooke, Paula Hawkins, and Lucy Foley
- informative and immersive sessions with internationally renowned experts including forensic psychiatrist Dr Duncan Harding, policing guru Professor Nick Fyfe, and forensic biologist Wendy Deegan’s "behind the crime scene tape" in partnership with Robert Gordon University
- the first ever live recording of broadcaster Nicola Meighan’s podcast A Kick up the Arts with Granite Harbour actor Dawn Steele
Over 18,400 visitors attended events at this year’s Granite Noir.
Theatre programme and festival hub events
The theatre programme at His Majesty’s Theatre held stage adaptations of Murder on the Orient Express and Sebastian Faulks’ Birdsong. While Aberdeen’s own Ten Foot Tall presented the off-beat comedy thriller Guilty by Rona Munro in the city’s Anatomy Rooms.
The festival unfurled across the city with focus at Granite Noir’s festival hub at the Lemon Tree, where the dark world of crime was brought into the light. The programme included:
- discussions with authors Chris Whitaker, Doug Johnstone, James Oswald, and more examined the art of crime writing
- events from Elle Nash, Kirsty Logan, T.L. Huchu, and Anna Bogutskaya reflected the murky history of Aberdeen and the surrounding area with tales of myths, magic, and monsters
- former Scots Scriever and northeast loon Shane Strachan guided audiences through a spooky evening of spoken word with Into the Dark
- popular authors Kristen Perrin, Joanna Wallace, and Chris Brookmyre embraced the whimsical with Dead Funny.
Film programme
Diving into the margins of crime fiction, Granite Noir presented a film programme in partnership with Belmont Community Cinema, with screenings of The Girl on the Train and British psychological-thriller Censor at Cowdray Hall.
Audiences were led on their own investigation with an interactive haunted audio experience, Hexagone, produced by Produced Moon with pupils at Aberdeen Grammar School.
The Cold Blooded Killers Exhibition curated by Inspector Claire Smith delved into the history of true crime in the region.
Budding young writers also had their imaginations kindled with children’s events with children’s authors Nadine Aisha Jassat, Sam Sedgman, and award-winning comedian Alasdair Beckett King.
This year’s Granite Noir invited everyone to become our partners in crime, and we’re delighted that so many joined us as accomplices this past weekend.
Reading and writing could be considered solitary occupations, but the acknowledgments at the end of any book prove it is anything but a solo endeavour. So too, it is the case with this festival.
Granite Noir would not be possible without the efforts of the team, our key funders, and festival partners, and I’d like to take the opportunity to thank all of them for their continued support.
Most of all, though, Granite Noir couldn’t happen without the support of our audiences and of the city of Aberdeen.
As we look forward to our tenth edition next year, I’d like to express my gratitude to everyone who has embraced Granite Noir into the fabric of the city and established its place as one of Scotland’s leading literary events.
Granite Noir festival has once again pulled in crowds of enthusiasts from far and wide.
The enthusiasm and interest from all who took part in this fantastic multi-media festival reflect its huge popularity both in Aberdeen and further afield.
Our local festivals achieve so much and are able to add a great deal to the cultural and economic wellbeing of the area. Granite Noir has contributed significantly to the vibrancy of the city.
It is fantastic to hear that this year’s Granite Noir has been another resounding success with many notable highlights, not least the brilliant line-up of talent from the literary and podcasts worlds, which brought devilish entertainment to in person and online audiences.
Festivals, like these, play an important role in our communities, bringing social, cultural, and economic benefits, while also highlighting a strong sense of place.
Granite Noir is a shining example of this. It strongly reflects the local culture and history and illuminates the city’s unique character.
Granite Noir has once again created an innovative multi-artform programme that celebrates the highly popular genre of crime writing.
This year’s festival continues to show how important literary festivals are in connecting Scotland's readers with authors from all over the country.
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